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<h2>Chinese Qigong</h2>

<p><b>By Steve Whan </b></p>

<p>Qigong comes from two Chinese words: Qi (chi) means energy and gong (kung) 

  which means a skill or a practice. Qigong therefore means a skill or practice 

  of cultivating energy. </p>

<p>Qigong is famous in China for curing chronic disease and promoting health. 

  For thousands of years millions of people have benefited from Qigong practices 

  and believed that improving the function of Qi maintains health and heals disease. 

  In traditional Chinese medicine, good health is a result of a free flowing, 

  well-balanced energy system.</p>

<p>Regular practice of Qigong is believed to cleanse the body of toxins, restore 

  energy, reduce stress and anxiety, and help individuals maintain a healthy and 

  active lifestyle. There are thousands of Qigong methods. One of the most popular 

  forms is Universal Standing Post. </p>

<p>Please give this a try:</p>

<ul>

  <li> Feet are parallel and shoulder width apart when measured on the outside 

    of the feet. </li>

  <li>The knees are bent so that if a straight and vertical line were drawn from 

    your knees to the ground, it would touch the tip of the big toe. </li>

  <li>The back is vertical and as straight as possible given that the back is 

    never fully straight. You must sink straight down and not bend the back backwards 

    at all. This is one big mistake that most people make.</li>

  <li>The chin is held pulled in slightly but not forced and the tongue is placed 

    up onto the hard palate like saying the letter 'L'. </li>

  <li>The eyes are not closed nor are they fully open (staring). They will look 

    to the ground about 20 feet away. </li>

  <li>The shoulders are dropped naturally and the arms are held such that you 

    are sort of hugging a tree with the elbows dropped below the wrists and shoulders. 

  </li>

  <li>The palms are turned out slightly so that they are at an angle of 45 degrees 

    to the ground with a straight line of skin but not stretched between thumb 

    and forefinger.</li>

  <li>The fingers of each palm are held about three inches apart. The upper side 

    of the forefingers should be in line with the under side of your nose.</li>

  <li>The buttocks are held slightly under naturally as this is the natural position 

    for the lower back when the knees are bent. Do not force the bum under as 

    this is just as bad as sticking it out.</li>

  <li>The toes are held slightly but not as much as to turn your toes white, concave. 

    Like as if they are gripping the ground.</li>

  <li>Breathing should be deep but relaxed and not forced. In the beginning, you 

    should always use a natural breathing pattern where the abdomen expands upon 

    inhalation and contracts upon exhalation. You breathe with your diaphragm 

    and not your neck.</li>

</ul>

<p>You should try to hold this posture for 10-15 minutes. This might be difficult, 

  however it will be worth it. You will begin to shake, not violently but a vibration 

  will take over your whole body and you will begin to perspire from your palms 

  and fingertips.</p>

<p>After some minutes, check your posture again to make sure that you haven't 

  slowly crept up and your knees are still bent. You should simply but with much 

  difficulty, think upon nothing at all! Just do nothing, no conscious thought 

  at all -- this is the secret to good Qigong.</p>

<p>The 100 day bet:</p>

<p>Gong also means a long period of daily effort. For instance, you can do something 

  for 100 days and accomplish one gong. Do the Universal Standing Post for 100 

  days -- keep track on a calendar -- and see for yourself if it makes a difference 

  to your health and well-being!</p>

<p><i>Steve Whan is the author of the Autumn Jade mystery series. He can be reached 

  through his web site: <a href="http://www.autumnjade.com/">http://www.autumnjade.com</a>. <br>

  </i> </p>

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  <B>Last Updated: <!-- #BeginEditable "Date" -->October 20th, 2002<!-- #EndEditable --></B></FONT> 

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